CN112840269A

CN112840269A - Apparatus and method for enlarging digital photographs on photographic paper

Info

Publication number: CN112840269A
Application number: CN201980067441.4A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 马修·L·施瓦兹
Original assignee: Charles Baylor Co
Current assignee: Charles Baylor Co; Charles Beseler Co
Priority date: 2018-09-13
Filing date: 2019-09-12
Publication date: 2021-05-25
Also published as: CA3112766A1; US10764451B2; MX2021003012A; EP3850430B1; EP4080282A1; EP3850430A1; CA3112766C; JP2022500711A; JP7344299B2; US20200092428A1; WO2020056142A1; MX390070B

Abstract

A method for use in a darkroom environment by exchanging a film carrier with a digital projection module, wirelessly receiving digital photo data within the digital projection module, and then automatically and wirelessly configuring an enlarger to generate an enlarged photograph on photosensitive printing paper Apparatus and method for enlarging digital photographs. The apparatus and method include a software application for use on a computing device containing a digital photograph that allows a user to communicate wirelessly with an enlarger to configure and control the enlarger for printing. The digital projection module allows the enlarger to be easily reconfigured to enlarge photographs produced by film. An alternative is also disclosed that uses a laser projector instead of interchangeable digital projection modules to generate enlarged prints from digital photographs. The software application also allows burn and dodge effects in prints.

Description

Apparatus and method for enlarging digital photograph on photographic paper

Cross Reference to Related Applications

This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional patent application serial No. 62/730,708, filed on 2018, 9, 13, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Technical Field

The present invention relates generally to printing photographs from digital images, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method for printing enlarged photographs from digital images using existing photographic magnification equipment or new magnification equipment.

Background

In photography, current photographic enlargers (see fig. 1) (also known as projection printers) are devices used to produce photographic prints or negatives that are larger than the original negative or slide show in a dark room environment. Modern enlargers include a projection assembly attached to a vertical column mounted on a horizontal base. The projection assembly includes an enclosed illumination system, a film carrier or support for positioning and flattening the film, a lens for projecting an image onto a base (which holds a photosensitive printing paper), and a mechanism for focusing the image onto the paper. The entire assembly can be raised or lowered in a track on the post to adjust the size of the print via manual controls. Once the magnified image is captured on the photosensitive printing paper, the paper is processed through a print development station in a dark room.

With the advent of digital cameras and smart phones, there is no longer any actual "film" to be placed in the amplifier device. Alternatively, the magnification of the digital photograph is accomplished using a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) mounted in a magnifier apparatus that can configure the digital data under the control of the magnifier's illumination/lens system. Examples of such enlargers or other photo development equipment using LCDs are shown in the following patents: U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,741,325(Yamamoto) and 5,801,814 (Mastomo); U.S. patent publication nos. 2003/0147129(Gohner) and 2011/0249248 (Gu); japanese patent No. JP6043551A (Bueruneru et al); chinese patent No. CN 1945426(Wu et al); WO 03/053696 (Carima).

While the above devices are generally suitable for their intended purpose, they have several drawbacks, for example, photo enthusiasts do not want to forgo the ability to magnify film-type photographs as well as digital photographs. Accordingly, there remains a need for a photo-magnifier apparatus having an interchangeable film carrier and LCD stand. Moreover, these same photographic enthusiasts want to be able to reproduce accurate magnification settings (e.g., illumination/lens height, aperture setting, exposure timing, etc.) without extensive trial and error. Thus, there is a further need for an automatically controlled amplifier device arrangement and capable of implementing the automatically controlled amplifier device arrangement using wireless communication with the amplifier device.

Finally, there is a need to provide an alternative digital photo enlarger that also includes automatic and wireless adjustment, but uses a more compact and robust laser projector than the interchangeable film carrier-LCD station enlarger. The present invention addresses the needs of the prior art.

All references cited herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety.

Disclosure of Invention

A photo enlarger for enlarging a digital photo onto a photosensitive material is disclosed. The photo enlarger includes an enlarger bracket from which an enlarger chassis protrudes, and a bracket including a light source, a condenser, a focus lens, and a movable projector module. The carriage is connected to a support that is movable along the enlarger chassis to allow the carriage to be positioned at a desired height above the enlarger carriage to achieve a desired magnified size when projecting a digital photograph using the projector module, and the light source is energized to form a magnified photographic image for exposing photosensitive photo-sensitive material on the enlarger carriage located below the focusing lens.

A method for magnifying a digital photograph onto a photosensitive material is disclosed. The method comprises the following steps: receiving a digital photograph at a photo enlarger, the photo enlarger including an enlarger mount from which an enlarger chassis protrudes, and a bracket including a light source, a condenser, a focus lens, and a movable projector module, wherein the bracket is connected to a support that is movable along the enlarger chassis to allow the bracket to be positioned at a desired height on the enlarger chassis; illuminating a base of the enlarger with an image preview; adjusting the height of the enlarger chassis to adjust the size of image preview; and exposing the photosensitive material through the movable projector module.

A photo magnification system is disclosed. The photo magnification system includes a photo enlarger and a computing device configured to execute a software application configured to control the enlarger to generate an image on a photosensitive material by: transmitting a digital photograph to a photo enlarger, the photo enlarger including an enlarger mount from which an enlarger chassis protrudes, and a bracket including a light source, a condenser, a focusing lens, and a movable projector module, wherein the bracket is connected to a support that is movable along the enlarger chassis to allow the bracket to be positioned at a desired height on the enlarger chassis; instructing the magnifier to illuminate the base of the magnifier with a preview of the image; instructing the enlarger to adjust the height of the enlarger chassis to adjust the size of the image preview, and instructing the enlarger to expose the photosensitive material through the movable projector module.

Drawings

Many aspects of the disclosure can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the figures are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present disclosure. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

FIG. 1 is a functional diagram of a conventional photo film enlarger of the prior art;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the present invention showing a photographic enlarger in a dark room utilizing interchangeable LCD modules;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the photographic enlarger of FIG. 2 which receives digital photograph data from various sources for print enlargement;

FIG. 4 is an isometric view of a base structure housing the electronics of the present invention and a motor base portion of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is an exemplary electrical schematic of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a photograph enlargement process;

FIG. 7 depicts four functions of the software application aspect of the present invention;

FIG. 8 depicts an exemplary screen depicting a toolbar and menu buttons presented on each screen in the software;

FIG. 9 depicts an exemplary login screen for a software application;

FIG. 10 depicts an exemplary print screen for a software application;

FIG. 10A depicts a flow diagram of a method for operating a print screen according to an example;

FIG. 11 depicts an exemplary device screen that identifies all enlargers connected to a software application and their status;

FIG. 12 depicts an exemplary initial condition display screen for configuring a software application of the enlarger;

FIG. 12A depicts an exemplary editing display screen of a software application for implementing the darkened and lightened features in photographs;

FIG. 12B depicts an exemplary information screen and editing display screen depicting the definition of various features in the initial conditions;

12C-12D depict exemplary darkened and reduced feature display screens;

FIG. 12E is an exemplary deepening and dimming save screen, and FIG. 12F is an exemplary load display screen of deepening and dimming parameters;

FIG. 13 is an exemplary develop mode display screen that enables use of the application of a red filter on a smartphone display screen in a dark room;

FIG. 13A depicts a red filter applied on a smartphone display screen using the develop mode display screen of FIG. 13;

FIG. 14 depicts an exemplary community tool display screen;

FIG. 15 is a side view of an alternative embodiment of the present invention showing a photographic enlarger in a dark room utilizing a laser projector module;

FIG. 16 is a block diagram of the photographic enlarger of FIG. 15 which receives digital photograph data from various sources for print enlargement in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 17 is an exemplary electrical schematic diagram of a photo enlarger in a dark room utilizing the laser projector module of FIG. 15;

fig. 18 is an isometric view of a single polarizing filter used with the laser projector module; and

fig. 19 is an isometric view of an exemplary mounting frame including a pair of polarizing filters for use with a laser projector module.

Detailed Description

Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals represent like parts throughout the several views. Throughout the specification, various components may be identified as having particular values, which are provided as exemplary embodiments, and should not limit the various concepts of the invention, as many comparable sizes and/or values may be implemented.

As best shown in fig. 2, the enlarger 20 of the present application includes, for example, a conventional photographic enlarger (bessel 23CIII-XL condenser enlarger with substrate) which is located in a dark room DR in which a film carrier has been removed and an interchangeable LCD (liquid crystal display) module 20A has been inserted between the light source 10/condenser stage 11 of the enlarger and the focusing lens 12 of the enlarger. It should be understood that the techniques of the present disclosure (including projecting an image on the photosensitive paper P using the LCD module 20A) may be performed in any capable device, such as a conventional or non-conventional photo enlarger.

All of the light source 10, the condenser stage 11, the LCD module 20A, and the focusing lens 12 form an assembly or carriage 22, which assembly or carriage 22 is connected to the enlarger chassis 13 via a support 14 that can move vertically along the chassis 13. The bottom of the enlarger chassis 13 is attached to the enlarger frame 15 and the enlarger 20 includes an enlarger base 24 for automatically positioning the movable carriage 22, wherein the enlarger base 24 includes electronics 26 for controlling movement of the carriage. The enlarger 20 further includes an ultrasonic sensor 28 coupled to the support 14 for detecting a vertical position of the carriage 22 above the enlarger frame 15, on which the photosensitive printing paper P is placed on the enlarger frame 15.

Fig. 3 shows details of the enlarger system including the enlarger 20 and the computing device S. In particular, fig. 3 provides a block diagram of the enlarger 20 showing digital photograph data DD from a computing device S, which in various examples comprises a smartphone, cell phone, digital camera, or a different source. The interchangeable LCD module 20A includes an LCD (e.g., 1481-1057-ND)30 and a filter (e.g., model 93493) 32. In various alternatives described elsewhere herein, the LCD module 20A is a laser projection module, a digital light projection module, or any other projection module capable of projecting a digital image onto a photosensitive material.

The electronics 26 include a Central Processing Unit (CPU)34 (e.g., an Arduino Uno microcontroller) in communication with a video processor 36 (e.g., MST3M182VGC-LF-Z1), the video processor 36 including a timer control 38 (e.g., a software timer) for controlling the light source 10 (e.g., an incandescent light bulb, a Light Emitting Diode (LED) enlarger light fixture, etc.). The CPU 34 controls a timer control module 38 (i.e., to control the exposure time) and a video processor 36 to cause the LCD 30 to display digital image data so that an enlarged version of the data is projected onto the photosensitive printing paper P. In particular, the light source 10 serves as a backlight for the LCD 30, while the CPU 34 commands the video processor 36 to transmit video data to the LCD 30 to emit an image. Although the digital data DD is shown as being received wirelessly, in an alternative embodiment, the computing device is coupled to the enlarger 20 by a cable instead.

To achieve automatic control of the scale up, the electronics 26 also include an ultrasonic sensor 28 (e.g., HC-SR04 ultrasonic sensor) and a motor control unit 42 (e.g., L298NSTMicroelectronics motor controller). The ultrasonic sensor detects the height of the carriage 22 above the photosensitive printing paper P and transmits the information to the CPU 34. The CPU 34 communicates with a motor control unit 42 to control the activation of a motor 44 (e.g., a DC motor) for precisely driving the carriage 22 up or down the enlarger chassis 13 to achieve a particular enlarged size.

Fig. 4 shows an example amplifier chassis 24. In this example, movement of the carriage 22 is accomplished by the amplifier base 24 including a worm gear structure 46, the worm gear structure 46 engaging the motor 44 on a motor base portion 48, the motor base portion 48 being connected to an amplifier mounting base structure 50 that houses the electronics 26. The pair of mounting

brackets

52A and 52B hold the base structure 50/motor base portion 48 to the amplifier chassis 13.

Fig. 5 depicts an exemplary electrical schematic for implementing features of the present disclosure. In this figure, the timer control module 38 is omitted, and a relay circuit R is implemented instead for controlling the light source 10 via the CPU 34. Specifically, the relay R oscillates to turn on/off the light source in order to shield incident light from reaching the paper. The motor control unit 42 is controlled by 3 pins (Enable), Dir1 and Dir2) and an external power supply of 12 volts. The enable pin controls the speed of the motor 44 and is connected to a PWM pin on the CPU 34, PWM (pulse width modulation) establishing a waveform for digital output to the motor to control speed. The ultrasonic sensor 28 requires two pins: one pin emits an acoustic pulse and the other pin counts the time it takes for the pulse to return to the sensor. The CPU 34 connected to bluetooth module 40 spans most of the CPU pins because module 40 has SPI (serial peripheral interface is an interface bus typically used to send data between the microcontroller and small peripherals), I2C (serial protocol for a 2-wire interface to low speed devices), and UART (universal asynchronous receiver/transmitter) capabilities.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example process 100 for producing an enlarged photograph from a digital photograph using the enlarger 20. In some embodiments, an operator uses a software application 200 (discussed later) to implement most of the process 100. In other embodiments, some, most, or all of process 100 may be performed automatically by enlarger 20, without being controlled by software application 200. In various embodiments, the software application 200 executes on the same computing device S that transmits the digital photograph data to the enlarger 20. In various embodiments, a single software application 200 both transmits digital photograph data to the enlarger 20 and controls the enlarger 20 in accordance with the process 100.

In step 102, the operator removes the film carrier from the enlarger and inserts the interchangeable LCD module 20A, as previously described. Step 102 is optional because the enlarger may not include a film carrier. Thus, in some embodiments, step 102 does not occur. At step 104, the software application 200 selects a digital photograph. In some modes of operation, software application 200 automatically performs the selection, while in other modes of operation, software application 200 receives such a selection from a human operator. The software application 200 then transmits the selected photograph (e.g., via the bluetooth module 40 of the enlarger electronics 26) to the enlarger 20 in step 106, and then configures the enlarger again using the software application 200 in

step

108 and 114. In particular, the software application 200 resizes the picture by adjusting the height of the carrier (step 110) and selecting the desired exposure time (step 112). In some modes of operation, the software application 200 controls the enlarger to preview ("project") an enlarged image. If the software application 200 is controlling the enlarger in this manner, the software application 200 turns off the projection at step 114. The projection that occurs passes through the LCD 30 and filter 32, and through the focusing lens 12.

After the above steps, exposure and development of the photosensitive paper are performed. The operator places the photosensitive printing paper P on the enlarger base 15 (step 116), confirms printing with the software application 200 (step 118), and waits for confirmation from the software application 200 (step 120). More specifically, the software application 200 receives a notification from the operator to print in step 118, and the software application 200 controls the enlarger 20 to expose the photosensitive printing paper P in step 120. Step 118 is optional because in some embodiments, software application 200 does not wait for human action to perform the exposure print. The software application 200 causes the enlarger 20 to expose the photosensitive printing paper P, thereby embedding an image on the photosensitive printing paper P. The exposure is performed according to enlarger configuration and photographic editing settings controlled by the software application 200 as described elsewhere herein. For example, exposure is controlled from images edited by the software application 200 according to techniques including elevation 240A, timer 242A, deepening and weakening 244A, and staging timer 246A as described elsewhere herein. Once the enlarged image is embedded on the photosensitive printing paper P, the operator removes the paper P from the enlarger base 15 (step 122), and sends the paper P to a print developing process 124, the print developing process 124 including a chemical bath (step 124A), a rinsing in water (step 124B), and a drying step (step 124C).

Software application

As described above, in some embodiments, the enlarger 20 operates under the direction of the software application 200 or operates in conjunction with the software application 200. In various embodiments, software application 200 implements one or more of the following four functions (fig. 7):

receiving digital photo data/load data on the LCD 202;

a magnifier configuration 204 (e.g., motor control for carriage position, exposure time, etc.);

photo editing 206 (e.g., drawing simple shapes on photos, etc.); and

photo networking 208 (e.g., creating accounts, photo sharing, photo marketing, etc.).

In some examples, these four functions are implemented using a Graphical User Interface (GUI) that includes various screens discussed below.

Fig. 8 depicts an exemplary screen depicting a toolbar 210 and menu buttons 212 presented on each screen in the software application 200. The toolbar 210 allows the operator to navigate between features to accomplish various tasks for four functions. Toolbar 210 includes device tool 214, print tool 216, editing tool 218, and development tool 220. A community tool 222 and a setup tool 224 are also provided.

FIG. 9 depicts an exemplary login screen for an operator to log into software application 200.

Fig. 10 depicts a print screen 226 according to an example. In some embodiments, after logging in, software application 200 displays print screen 226. In this screen 226, the operator can tap/touch the photo select/current photo viewer 228, which makes the camera album available, allowing the operator to select a photo to zoom in from a plurality of photos. Once a photograph is selected, the software application applies a black and white filter (not shown) to reverse the color of the selected digital photograph so that it appears as a black and white negative in the viewer 228. At this point, the operator may be prompted to select another photograph, if desired; if software application 200 is on an iPhone, then the "3D touch" feature can be utilized for photo exchange. A print button 230 is provided in the screen 226, and pressing the button 230 transmits the digital data of the selected photograph and "initial conditions" (discussed later) to the enlarger. Upon receiving this data, the enlarger runs the protocol set by the software application 200 and develops the image accordingly.

Fig. 10A provides a flow diagram of a method 1000 for operating the print screen 226 according to an example. At step 1002, no photograph is selected in the print screen 226. At step 1004, the software application 200 determines whether a photograph is selected. If a photo is not selected, the method 1000 returns to step 1002. If a photo is selected, method 1000 proceeds to step 1006. At step 1006, software application 200 displays the selected photograph. At step 1008, software application 200 determines whether editing input has been received. Example editing inputs include an elevation input 240A, a timer input 242A, an increase and decrease input 244A, and a phase timer 246A, all of which are described elsewhere herein (e.g., in fig. 12-12F). If editing input has been received, method 1000 proceeds to step 1010, where software application 200 changes the photograph according to the editing. If at step 1012 no editing input is received, but a print command is received, the method proceeds to step 1014, where the software application 200 sends data to the enlarger 20 to control the enlarger to generate a print. After step 1014, the method 1000 may return to step 1006 and display the photograph again, or the method 1000 may end.

Fig. 11 depicts a device screen 232 that allows an operator to view and monitor the activity of the attached enlarger. The network name of each device and its particular status are shown in data field 234; the status indicators are green for "connected", yellow for "idle", and red for "disconnected". Although not shown, the device screen 232 also includes a data field for indicating the total number of currently connected devices. The device screen 232 is also where the operator pairs each enlarger device. A device search button 236 is provided to allow the operator to search for nearby bluetooth LE (low energy consumption) peripherals.

Fig. 12 to 12F are display screens of the software application 200 related to the initial conditions for configuring the enlarger 20 and the print development process. As shown in fig. 12-12A, initial conditions screen 238 guides the operator to establish a carriage elevation setting 240, a main timer setting 242, a deepening and dimming setting 244, and a phase timer setting 246. The corresponding information buttons 240A-246A provide the operator with information about the particular settings in a separate information screen 248 (FIG. 12B), namely:

-elevation 240A: controlling the printed size by the elevation; increasing the parameter produces an enlarged image and decreasing the parameter produces a reduced size image; virtual slide control 240 allows the operator to have a wide range of elevation control.

Timer 242A: this parameter is the "master timer" parameter; the parameter determines the maximum exposure time of the image; longer timer parameters result in darker print development, while shorter timer parameters result in brighter print development;

deepening and weakening 244A: darkening and lightening (BD) allows the operator to select certain areas of the print to receive less development; by drawing a snapshot over the image, this prevents light from developing in the selected area, resulting in a softer tone in that area; in particular, the BD feature takes the uploaded image from the print screen 226 and allows the operator to draw a simple shape with black fill thereon. The black fill results in adjusting the degree of exposure of the image on the photosensitive material. The BD feature also temporarily saves the edited photograph as a separate image to allow the enlarger to display it for a predetermined amount of time. In addition, any copy is treated as a separate entity while phase times are assigned to images linked to the phase timer period in the base edit window.

Phase timer 246A: the phase timer allows the operator to control the time that the BD image is exposed. The phase timer parameters cannot exceed the master timer.

The operator can exit the information screen using the off button 250.

As can be seen most clearly in the editing screen (fig. 12A), the BD feature allows the operator to make simple photo edits, e.g., draw simple shapes on top of the image, and allow those shapes to have black fill. The stages (e.g., stages 1, 2, and 3) allow the operator to visualize multiple images at different times during the development stage and allow exactly the same behavior as a computer driven slide on a timer. The phase length is set in each timer data field 246. By hovering over a particular session timer setting 246, the operator is brought into the BD screen of FIGS. 12C and 12D to effect a particular edit. The go to print button 252 in fig. 12A serves as a print screen shortcut. Also provided in the display of fig. 12A are a save button 254 and a load button 256, the save button 254 and the load button 256 for bringing the operator to the respective display screens shown in fig. 12E and 12F. These screens save the current parameters of all features on the software application 200 for reloading if the operator wishes to do the same printing, which will also include the BD phase.

Fig. 13 depicts the display screen 258 of the developer tool 220. In particular, the display screen allows the operator to use his/her smartphone in a dark room without damaging the image by applying a red filter (fig. 13A) to the smartphone display screen. Red light does not impair black and white printing. In this way, by coloring the display screen of the operator's smartphone, the printed matter is protected from any light emitted from the smartphone. The virtual slider control 260 allows the operator to apply a red filter on the smartphone display screen while in the dark room.

FIG. 14 depicts a display screen 262 for the community tool 222. In particular, the community tool 222 allows an operator to publish his/her images along with parameters of the visualization process. These images and process parameters may be sold to others using the online market. The purchase transfer involves a data package including an image, initial conditions, and any BD effects, thereby allowing the purchaser to reproduce the seller's image. Display screen 262 includes an account/user identification 264, a photograph 266 being purchased and its parameters, and a description/publication data field 268.

Alternative to LCD module: laser projection module or digital light processing

In an alternative to using the LCD module 20A to generate magnified photographs from digital photograph data DD, an alternative projector module 300 (e.g., Sony (Sony) laser projector MP-CL 1A-lumens (Lumen)) is used with the enlarger in a darkroom environment DR. In one example, the alternative projector module 300 is a laser projector module. In another example, the alternative projector module 300 is a digital light processing module. As used herein, the term "projector module" refers to any technically feasible module that performs the functions of the LCD module 20A or in place of the projector module 300.

For the example using a laser projection module, the laser projector module includes the necessary light source, lenses, and filters to form a compact projection device. Thus, in this example, as best shown in fig. 15, the carriage 22 is replaced by a laser projector module mounted on the support arm 14, which also includes an ultrasonic sensor 28. In addition, an aperture 302 is associated with the laser projector module and is controlled by a servo motor 304. In addition, a pair of polarizing filters 306A/306B is provided to reduce the light intensity and is controlled by a polarizer servo 308. The polarizing filters 306A/306B and polarizer servo 308 are positioned on a mounting bracket 310 that is secured to the laser projector module 300.

The example of using a digital light processing module is similar to the example of using a laser projection module. In particular, in this example, the digital light processing module includes a light source, lenses, and filters, thereby forming a compact projection device. Thus, in this example, instead of the carriage 22, is a digital light processing module mounted on the support arm 14, which also includes an ultrasonic sensor 28. The aperture 302 is controlled by a servo motor 304. As with the example of the laser projection module, for the digital light processing module, a pair of polarized filters 306A/306B located on the mounting frame 310 and controlled by a polarizer servo 308 is provided to reduce the light intensity.

It should be understood that any of the mentioned examples of LCD module 20A may be replaced with any of the alternatives described herein, such as a laser projection module or a digital light processing module, in the present disclosure.

Fig. 16 provides a block diagram of an amplification system utilizing the alternative projector module 300. The block diagram is similar to that of fig. 3, but wherein the carriage 22 has been replaced with an alternative projector module 300, aperture 302, servo motor 304, and mounting frame 310 containing polarizer filters 306A/306B and polarizer servo 308. In particular, the aperture 304 is coupled to the emitting end of the alternative projection module 300 to shield the incident light from irradiating the photosensitive printing paper P. The servo motor 304 drives the aperture 302 to move back and forth (e.g., reciprocate) to produce this effect. The servo motor 302 is controlled by the CPU 34 via the timer module 38. In addition, the external polarizing filters 306A/306B are adjusted by the polarizer servo 308 (also controlled by the CPU 34 via the timer module 38) to reduce the light intensity. Otherwise, the amplification system of fig. 16 operates in a similar manner to the system shown in fig. 3.

Fig. 17 provides an electrical schematic of the block diagram of fig. 16 using an alternative projector module 300. Again, the operation of the system is similar to that shown in FIG. 5, except for the servo motor 304 and polarizer servo system 308, which are coupled to the CPU 34. The same result is achieved by the operation of the servo motor 304 without the use of the relay circuit R shown in fig. 3.

FIG. 18 shows one of the

polarizing filters

306A or 306B, each comprising a polarizer (e.g., polarizing film, model 93493Gadget & Electronics Store, etc.). The filter includes a circular housing 312 with a half-gear configuration, allowing an intermediate gear (not shown) for one

polarizing filter

306A or 306B to move the two housings in opposite directions to shorten the distance traveled in each rotation; thus, the polarization servo system only needs to be rotated by 180 °. Fig. 19 shows how the pair of polarized filters 306A/306B are arranged in the mounting frame 310 such that they move slightly away from the output of the laser projector module 300 adjacent to the aperture 302. Controlling the polarizing filters 306A/306B (e.g., by reducing the amount of light intensity) allows a laser printer (not shown) to achieve increased exposure time per print without overexposing the image. It should be understood that although polarizing filters 306A/306B are described, either or both of

elements

306A and 306B may be removed or replaced with other elements (e.g., polycarbonate filters or other types of filters).

The process of developing an image using the LCD module 20A and the alternative projector module 300 is very similar. The difference is that the LCD module 20A requires a relatively longer exposure time than the alternative projector module 300. Because LCD module 20A exhibits these longer exposure times, this allows the operator to edit in a more traditional manner, whereas for the replacement projector module 300, these similar types of edits would have to be made earlier in the process on the computer, and then the replacement projector module 300 would run the print protocol. Furthermore, because the LCD module 20A is also a digital component, it can also run the same printing protocol, but with only a longer exposure time. With particular regard to the flowchart of fig. 6 (excluding the first step 102), the difference between amplifier operation using the LCD module 20A and using the laser projector module 300 is between

steps

118 and 120. Currently, a designer edits the paper P while the paper P is exposed, which is called BD. However, due to the short exposure time in the laser projector module 300 as described above, these edits will be made earlier in the process on the computer. Conversely, with the LCD module 20A in place, the editing process can be done on the computer and in situ during exposure.

While the invention has been described in detail and with reference to specific embodiments thereof, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope thereof.

Claims

1. A photo enlarger for enlarging a digital photo onto a photosensitive material, the photo enlarger comprising:

a magnifier bracket from which the magnifier chassis protrudes; and

a bracket, the bracket includes a light source, a condenser, a focusing lens and a movable projector module,

wherein the bracket is connected to a support that is movable along the amplifier chassis to allow the bracket to be positioned at a desired height above the amplifier bracket for use in all The projector module achieves the desired magnification size when projecting digital photographs, the light source is energized to form a magnified photographic image for exposing photosensitive material on the magnifier support positioned below the focusing lens.

2. The photo enlarger of claim 1, wherein the movable projector module comprises one of a movable liquid crystal display ("LCD") projector, a laser projector, and a digital light processing module.

3. The photo enlarger of claim 1, wherein an enlarger base is positioned on the enlarger chassis, the enlarger base including a motor and a transmission for moving the carriage.

4. The photo enlarger of claim 3, wherein the enlarger base includes electronics configured to control movement of the carriage, the light source and the projector module.

5. The photo enlarger of claim 1 , further comprising a contactless sensor coupled to the electronics, the contactless sensor configured to detect a movement of the carriage over the enlarger stand high.

6. The photo enlarger of claim 5, wherein the non-contact sensor comprises an ultrasonic sensor.

7. The photo enlarger of claim 1, wherein the electronics of the enlarger include a wireless interface module configured to receive digital photograph data from a wireless device.

8. The photo enlarger of claim 1, wherein the wireless device includes a software application configured to wirelessly receive commands from an operator and process the commands to configure and control the magnifier.

9. The photo enlarger of claim 8, wherein the software application is further configured to perform operations for controlling the manner in which the photosensitive material is exposed.

10. A method for enlarging a digital photograph onto a photosensitive material, the method comprising:

A digital photo is received at a photo magnifier, the photo magnifier including a magnifier bracket and a bracket from which a magnifier chassis protrudes, the bracket including a light source, a condenser, a focusing lens and a movable a projector module, wherein the bracket is connected to a support movable along the magnifier chassis to allow the bracket to be positioned at a desired height above the magnifier chassis;

illuminating the base of the magnifier with an image preview;

adjusting the height of the magnifier chassis to adjust the size of the image preview; and

The photosensitive material is exposed through the movable projector module.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising closing the image preview prior to exposing the photosensitive material by the movable projector module.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the movable projector module comprises one of a movable liquid crystal display ("LCD") projector, a laser projector, and a digital light processing module.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the photo magnifier further comprises a magnifier base including a magnifier base configured to control movement of the carriage, the light source and the projector module of electronic devices.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein adjusting the height of the magnifier chassis comprises detecting that the bracket is on the magnifier stand via a non-contact sensor coupled to the electronics height above.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the receiving of the digital photograph data is performed via a wireless interface of electronics of the enlarger.

16. A photo enlargement system, comprising:

photo enlargers; and

a computing device configured to execute a software application configured to control the magnifier to generate an image on the photosensitive material by:

Transmitting digital photos to a photo enlarger including a magnifier stand and a bracket from which a magnifier chassis protrudes, the bracket including a light source, a condenser, a focusing lens and a movable projection an instrument module, wherein the bracket is connected to a support movable along the amplifier chassis to allow the bracket to be positioned at a desired height above the amplifier chassis;

instructing the magnifier to illuminate the base of the magnifier with an image preview;

instructing the magnifier to adjust the height of the magnifier chassis to adjust the size of the image preview; and

The magnifier is instructed to expose the photosensitive material through the movable projector module.

17. The photo enlargement system of claim 16, wherein the computing device is further configured to instruct the enlarger to close the image preview prior to exposing the photosensitive material through the movable projector module.

18. The photo enlargement system of claim 16, wherein the movable projector module comprises one of a movable liquid crystal display ("LCD") projector, a laser projector, and a digital light processing module.

19. The photo magnification system of claim 16, wherein the photo magnifier further comprises a magnifier base including a magnifier base configured to control movement of the carriage, the light source and the projection the electronics of the instrument module.

20. The photo magnification system of claim 16, further comprising a non-contact sensor coupled to the electronics, the non-contact sensor configured to detect movement of the carriage over the magnifier stand high.